EL SEGUNDO, CA — Perhaps the most obvious reason that the Los Angeles Kings have won five straight games is because they have scored timely goals and have gotten the balanced scoring they have lacked all season long.

But that’s just the easy answer. The real starting point, when looking for the root cause of the Kings’ recent success lies 200 feet away, in their own zone.

Indeed, much-improved defensive play and penalty-killing have been the fundamental differences and the most important, most significant reasons behind the Kings’ current five-game winning streak.

Rob Blake’s jersey number 4 now hangs from the rafters at Staples Center after it was retired by theLos Angeles Kings on January 17, 2015.Photo: Gann Matsuda/FrozenRoyalty.net

ROB BLAKE JERSEY RETIREMENT: In the final installment of a multi-part series on the Los Angeles Kings retiring superstar defenseman Rob Blake’s jersey number 4 on January 17, Frozen Royalty wraps up coverage with several audio interviews, most of which you will find only on Frozen Royalty.

EL SEGUNDO AND LOS ANGELES, CA — On January 17, the Los Angeles Kings retired former defenseman and captain Rob Blake’s jersey number 4 during a pre-game ceremony at Staples Center in Los Angeles.

Over the past few days, Frozen Royalty has brought you a series of stories leading up to the ceremony on January 17, based on exclusive interviews. Below, you can listen to all of those interviews, as well as an interview with Blake after the jersey retirement ceremony.

ROB BLAKE JERSEY RETIREMENT: In the second installment of a multi-part series covering the retirement of former Kings defenseman Rob Blake’s jersey number 4 on January 17, current Kings players spoke exclusively with Frozen Royalty about the jersey retirement, and about Blake’s impact on the team and the game of hockey.

EL SEGUNDO, CA — With the retirement of former Los Angeles Kings great Rob Blake’s jersey number 4 on January 17, as you might guess, the local media have been buzzing around the team’s practice facility in El Segundo, California, asking about Blake.

But if you look at the roster, only two players actually played with Blake, center Anze Kopitar and forward Dustin Brown, who both played with Blake during the 2006-07 and 2007-08 seasons.

“He was the captain right before I was captain,” said Brown. “We weren’t a good team, but you learned a lot from a guy like that—how he handled himself in the situation of being an older guy on a very young, inexperienced team. He helped Kopi and I kind of grow into the roles that we’re currently in.”

Indeed, he was a healthy scratch in four of the Los Angeles Kings’ last seven games, and in three straight games prior to returning to the lineup on January 10, in a 5-4 shootout loss to the Winnipeg Jets at Staples Center in Los Angeles. But the 23-year-old, 6-4, 208-pound native of Davidson, Saskatchewan took quite the leap forward on January 12, and perhaps just in the nick of time, helping the Kings shutout the Toronto Maple Leafs, 2-0, at Staples Center.

Against the Maple Leafs, McNabb played what was, arguably, his best game of the season with solid positional play, smart reads, good, quick decisions and strong physical play.

LA Kings left wing Tanner Pearson getting some rather special attentionfrom one member of a family at Tip A King 2015, held at the LA LiveEvent Deck, on January 3, 2015.Photo: Gann Matsuda/FrozenRoyalty.net

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